This invention relates in general to a stroller, and in particular, to a stroller with a tilt-in-space capability to select the recline angle of the seat assembly of the stroller.
A standard wheelchair is perhaps the most common wheeled support structure for handicapped individuals. Although wheelchairs are commonly designed to be readily adaptable to accommodate individuals of different sizes and shape, they often lack the contoured support needed to properly anatomically align and support the occupant. Further, standard wheelchairs frequently have complicated adjustment mechanisms in order to accommodate individuals of different size and weight, and fail to provide any means for varying the spatial orientation of the occupant without disturbing a therapeutically desired seating posture. Lastly, standard wheelchairs by their design and construction are usually restricted as to the type of terrain which can be traversed. For example, they typically have relatively small swivel wheels or coasters secured to their lower front end for mobility, which, because of their size often act as a limitation on the mobility of the wheelchair.
Another type of wheeled support structure, although not specifically designed for handicapped individuals, is a baby stroller. A wide variety of baby strollers are presently available, but none appear to satisfactorily combine the above desirable characteristics of a wheeled seat support or stroller for a handicapped individual. Baby strollers are designed to function primarily as wheeled structures for babies and small children. Therefore, such strollers are usually engineered to be of a light construction and often include intricate adjustment or collapse mechanisms which would be unduly cumbersome if enlarged to the size necessary for a wheeled support structure or stroller for an adolescent or adult. Lastly, baby strollers generally lack any contoured support such as that needed to properly anatomically align and support a handicapped individual.
Thus, there presently exists a genuine need for a wheeled support structure or stroller capable of properly anatomically aligning and supporting a seated occupant and capable of being adjusted to vary the spatial orientation of the occupant, and yet is easily transportable and storable when not in use.